This is everything you need to know about the UK’s 2019 Eurovision entry

Eurovision wraps up on Saturday, but who will win? (Photo: Shutterstock)

Rhona Shennan

Published:4:03 pmMay 15, 2019

It’s that time of year again – the Eurovision Song Contest.

Prior to getting your Eurovision viewing party underway, here is everything you need to know about the 2019 UK entry into Eurovision.

What is the song?

Michael Rice is the singer of the UK’s entry this year with his song Bigger Than Us. The song was selected to be the British representative on 8 February this year.

Bigger Than Us was written by Laurell Barker, Anna-Khara Folin, Jonas Thander and John Lundvik.

Lundvik was originally going to enter the track into a Swedish music competition called Melodifestivalen, with himself as the performer.

Lundvik ultimately decided on a different song and instead entered Bigger Than Us into the Eurovision: You Decide competition.

Who is Michael Rice?

Michael Rice is a 21 year old English singer from Hartlepool. Michael spent his younger years working in fast food takeaways like McDonalds or fish and chip shops.

He auditioned for season 11 of X Factor in 2014 when he was 16, where he sang Whitney Houston’s I Look To You. Despite positive comments from the judges and four yeses, he didn’t make it past the boot camp stages.

Last year, Michael then another appearance on our TV screens as the winner of BBC One’s first series of All Together Now, a singing competition.

In January of 2019, Michael was one of six singers fighting to represent the UK at Eurovision on the BBC’s You Decide competition. After viewers voted, he won the show a month later.

When is Eurovision?

Eurovision started yesterday (Tue 14 May) and runs through to Saturday 18 May, which is when the final will take place, in Tel Aviv in Israel.

The last round of the singing competition will air on BBC One, starting at 8pm and wrapping up just before midnight.